If you find yourself in Michigan with a chocolate craving this summer, you're in luck. The Henry Ford Museum---founded in 1929 by automotive pioneer Henry Ford---is playing host to a tantalizing traveling exhibit guaranteed to have you craving a tall glass of milk within minutes. Its name? Chocolate: The Exhibition. Honestly, you can't argue with that.

Exploring the relationship between human culture and chocolate---and yes, it goes deeper than "mmm, I love that stuff"---the exhibition (which is free with general admission to the museum) traces the path from the Mayans' discovery of the cacao seed to the American development and marketing of the candy bars we know and love today.

With Memorial Day past and June just around the corner, many people tend to look at summer as being in full swing. However, June 1st also denotes the start of another season: hurricane season. I can’t claim to let hurricanes factor into my travel plans or decision-making. In fact, I’ve been subjected to a fair few, though never to the kind of havoc-wreaking type of Katrina or Andrew. However, my time spent on Nantucket, 30 miles off the coast of Massachusetts, has allowed me bear witness to blackouts, minor floods, uprooted tress, and devastated houses.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member Red Mezz

As travelers, we do a lot of whining about how great certain places were 10 years ago—before Starbucks served Paris, before Louis Vuitton outfitted Beijing, and before cell-phone towers connected the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro to the rest of the world.

But while I was visiting Boston this weekend, I was struck not only by how much the city has changed in the past decade, but by how much better it is today. When I first went there 10 years ago, the Big Dig was in full swing: cranes dominated the skyline; displaced rats ran rampant; and construction sites isolated the city’s most historic neighborhoods from each other.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member zabelle

After a Memorial Day weekend road trip that reduced my companion and me to cheering at the sight of gas for less than $3.80/gallon, I’m acutely aware of the sting of rising gas prices. So I can only imagine the panic among major airlines over skyrocketing fuel prices on a much, much larger scale. Last week, American Airlines gave us some idea, with the announcement of reduced capacity and added fees—including a $15 charge for the first bag checked by each “low-fare customer.”

Last Thursday, May 15, a jolt of the non-earthquake variety struck California. In a four-to-three decision, the state Supreme Court struck down its ban on same-sex marriage, essentially upholding San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s controversial decision to allow gay marriages in February 2004.

A second jolt came this Tuesday, when Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a longtime opponent of gay marriage, remarked, “I hope that California's economy is booming because everyone is going to come here and get married.” Arnold is completely behind the decision.

After writing yesterday's post and reading more about oil prices and the airlines, one factoid from a Wall Street Journal column really stuck with me:

The change in oil prices from a year ago to today translates into $24.6 billion in added fuel costs for passengers and cargo airlines on an annualized basis, according to the Air Transport Association. That's more than the industry has ever earned; the best year for profits at U.S. passenger and cargo airlines was 1999, with net earnings of $5.3 billion.

I absolutely can’t get this out of my head. After first hearing the news that American is going to start charging $15 for the first checked bag, my initial thought was: you have got to be kidding me! Then I came across this stat, one that I had not seen before in those terms, and I was, well, shocked. That $15 fee for my bag suddenly became insignificant as I put this further into perspective. The fact of the matter is, the cost of fuel is killing the airlines, and they’re doing everything they can to generate revenue.

I'm leaving for France Saturday morning, so this week I'm doing the last-minute travel dash. Today alone I have realized that I don't have comfortable footwear that is up to French standards, I don't have a plug adapter, and I don't know the best way to exchange money beyond our borders.

The last time I went abroad I hit up the ATM whenever I needed a few euros and it seemed to work like a charm. But the glow of my European vacation instantly faded when my bank statement arrived. I had blown a small fortune in ATM fees and other odd surcharges I hadn't expected.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member linet.

If you keep up with travel news, you’re aware that the high cost of fuel is hitting the airline industry hard, forcing them to find ways generate revenue. To deal with surging operational costs, major carriers have had several solutions on their minds: fare hikes, capacity cuts and added fees.

We’ve seen several attempts (most successful) to raise fares over the past five weeks, and today American Airlines made flight reductions a reality, announcing that they will cut domestic capacity by up to 12 percent in the fourth quarter, a strategy to “significantly” cut costs and “create a more sustainable supply-and-demand balance," Gerard Arpey, CEO of American Airlines, said.

What does this mean for consumers? For one, travelers can expect crowded planes; they can also expect to pay more for that seat, even though demand has declined, according to the Air Transport Association.

To further cope with the high cost of fuel, American said they will also start charging “low-fare customers” $15 for their first checked bag beginning June 15, a (somewhat) surprising move that comes on the heels of the second checked bag fee ($25) by major carriers. American also said they will raise fees on other services such as reservation help.

To many people, Memorial Day signals the unofficial start to summer, a time to scrape off that grill, fill up the kiddie pool, and get that first glimmer of tan. And even though tens of thousands will hit the road and the skies, if the upcoming three-day weekend stretches before you without a trip to look forward to, you’re not alone. According to Reuters, Memorial Day holiday travel in the U.S. will shrink for the first time since 2002.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member Valerita.

Recently, Travelocity reported that airfare was 12 percent higher for summer travel than it was last year. At the same time, the president of the Air Transport Association (ATA) told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday that a rise in airfare was "inevitable." What's a traveler to do? Stay home this summer?

No way, I say.

For me, the thought of not taking a summer trip is too depressing to imagine. If the same goes for you, you're likely looking for a way to save money on your next flight. Here are my five favorite tricks to saving money on airfare:

Yesterday I was posed an interesting question by an acquaintance. After finding out that I was born and raised on Manhattan (that’s right ON Manhattan—it’s an island. See The High-Minded Highjacker), she asked a question she said she asks every homegrown New Yorker: at what point could she consider herself a New Yorker? One’s hometown is a big part of travel; it’s one of the first things people ask you about when they hear you’re traveling. After all, to be in transit, you have to be from somewhere.

Travel mooching: many are guilty of it (I’m talking to those of you in the back, trying sheepishly to avoid eye contact). They take that trip to Prague with a friend whose brother lives there and can offer free accommodations; they show a keen interest in visiting those distant relatives with a house in the Hamptons; they call up that high-school classmate they ran into over the holidays to announce—surprise!—that they’re planning to visit the city, but man are hotels expensive. Sound familiar? Few of us have escaped: it’s hard to avoid the advances of a mooch.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member vondrejech

Is there anything more depressing than the trip home from the airport when you’ve just arrived back from a vacation? Besides the likelihood that I’m jet-lagged—and the fact that my homecomings always seem to coincide with midnight and rainstorms—for me, this leg of a trip marks the beginning of what friends have termed my “post-trip depression” period: two weeks of grouchiness characterized by statements like, “I think I want to move to [insert most recent destination here].”

You may not be aware of this, but it snows regularly on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Yes, you read that right--at a staggering 13,790 feet, the dormant volcano Mauna Kea (“White Mountain” in the native Hawaiian tongue) dons a sparkling cap of snow in wintertime. (Its counterpart, Mauna Loa, does the same, although snow on the latter is less visible due to its more rounded peak.) Because of Mauna Kea’s unique assets, native Hawaiians have long considered it a sacred site.

Incidentally, the summit of Mauna Kea is also an ideal place for stargazing, given its height and remoteness from major cities. Hence, it now houses several of the world’s leading astronomical observatories. Native Hawaiian groups are displeased with these developments, protesting that the developments defile the sacredness of the site.

Photo courtesy of the 'Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai'i.

I grew up in Florida so it's only natural that I was born with an innate love of bone-chilling, heart-pounding, hair-raising amusement-park thrills. But like most junkies, I eventually tired of the same old thing and went in search of new kicks. This is how I became obsessed with America's weirdest theme parks. Check out my top five picks below.

5) The Holy Land Experience - This theme park is a Vegas-style miniature version of certain sights in Israel. It boasts Judeo-Christian "thrills" such as the world's largest indoor model of Jerusalem, the Dead Sea Scrolls cave, and a faux-Jerusalem street market. But there are no rides, making this park lower on my list.

4) Dollywood - America's favorite buxom blonde has her own amusement park and it's a knee-slappin', foot stompin' good time. Only at Dollywood could you enjoy a sawmill-themed roller coaster, watch an "artisan" make soap, and then top off the day with some delicious meat on a stick. Dollywood is jolly good, y'all.

An article in the Wall Street Journal leads with this statement: You'll never look at, or reach into, an airline seat-back pocket the same after reading this.

The columnist goes on to describe a number of disgustingly horrific things passengers do on planes; things they would never do in most public settings. Let’s just say that after reading this, I’m operating under a strict BYOB policy. That is: Bring Your Own Blanket.

The truth is, there may not be much you can do to stop the bad behavior of other passengers, but there are some coping tactics that you can use to make the flight as enjoyable as possible. I talked to The Window Seat editors to get their tips on manufacturing some ambiance on your next flight, even if the guy next to you happens to be picking his nose.

With Memorial Day weekend just around the bend, it’s time to start planning your summer beach reading list. Yesterday, the AP came out with a list of books that “blend food and travel,” including the appetite-worthy titles of Hamburger America and Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris, the latter of which the author blogged about here on TWS just last week.

As far as my list is concerned, I’ll kick off my summer with Zadie Smith’s White Teeth, which is my book club’s next selection, but beyond that, I’m not sure. Should I go with a Pulizter Prize winner, the best-seller list on the New York Times, or one of my friends’ picks on the book recommendation sharing web site Good Reads?

If you’re looking for a suggestion, here are five books I’ve recently read that I think will pair well with sandy toes:

Richard Louv coined the phrase Nature Deficit Disorder in his book LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS and ever since I read about it, I've been thinking about how the majority of us are nature deprived; and as a result, in some way, suffering. How many times are you outside walking about but barely taking in the world around you? Have we forgotten how to truly see? Louv claims that in really seeing, and more importantly in experiencing and interacting with, nature we are more able to deal with the troubles that life hurls our way. He links ADD and ADHD among other symptoms that can be healed through more interaction with nature.

I got to thinking about how our vacations are our time (especially as adults) to stop and sniff the roses. It's how we recharge. But how many of us return from vacations exhausted? So my question is, are we getting that time? And Louv would contend that this issue is critical when we look at how families vacation because we must teach our children to embrace nature. For if we don’t, they will never develop an appreciation for and a commitment to nature. Without that, our environmental stewards will die off within just a few generations and the outlook for the world will be bleak.

I polled Travelocity’s travelers and asked them about how they spend time on family vacations to see what has changed over the past several generations. Here are the highlights of what I found.

Photo thanks to IgoUgo member Caromeow